During class on Friday (9.5.15) we got to talk to Mr. Brauner, an agent at The Agency Group. During the discussion he brought up the fact that he would never sign someone who is YouTube famous because they are a risk and usually don't last. This conversation got me interested in how many artists we know who started on YouTube.
Justin Bieber
In 2007 Justin Bieber put a cover of Chris Brown's "With You" on YouTube. Usher saw the video and signed him to his label. 8 years later he is making around $80 million a year from his music, fragrances, model campaigns, and other businesses ventures and has an estimated net worth $200 million. 34 of his songs made the Billboard top 100 and 9 of those were in the top 20. He just got his first number 1 in the U.K charts this past week.
Gotye
In 2011, Gotye was a diy artist and uploaded his song "Somebody That I Use To Know." Two
years later it received the Grammy for Record of the Year. In 2012 it was number 1 on the Billboard charts. The song has made an estimated amount of $7,840,000.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
This hip hop duo has been together since 2000 and has been putting videos on YouTube since 2010. It wasn't till 2012 when their song "Thrift Shop" went viral. It peaked at number 1 on the billboard charts and has sold more than 7 million copies in the U.S.
There are many more artists who started on YouTube including Greyson Chance, Susan Boyle, Karmin, Souljia Boy, etc. I decided to go with the four that the majority of us would know. These four artists careers are very different even though they all started out the same way.
Justin Bieber is one of the top artists to this day. He just released a song in August that went to number 1 on iTunes the week released. He also just performed on the VMA's a couple of weeks ago. He could never release another song and he will still be famous till he dies. Gotye was a big hit in 2012 but now he is just somebody that we use to know. He has released albums since then but none that hit the top charts. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis has remained active since "Thrift Shop." They have had three more singles make it in the top 20's of the Billboard charts. They also performed at the VMA's a couple of weeks ago. Carly Ray Jepsen went away for awhile after her single "Call Me Maybe" was released. She tried to release an album during all the hype but it failed to get noticed. Since then she has been keeping it low until recently when her new single "I Really Like You" was released a couple of months ago.
Carly Ray Jepsen
In 2012 Justin Bieber discovered Carly Jepsen on YouTube when her video "Call Me Maybe" went viral (There was an older version of this song but it got taken down when a VEVO video was made). Justin ended up adding her to his label after going through her YouTube channel and listening to her other songs. This song spent seven weeks on Billboard as number one and was the "song of the summer" in 2012. There are many more artists who started on YouTube including Greyson Chance, Susan Boyle, Karmin, Souljia Boy, etc. I decided to go with the four that the majority of us would know. These four artists careers are very different even though they all started out the same way.
Justin Bieber is one of the top artists to this day. He just released a song in August that went to number 1 on iTunes the week released. He also just performed on the VMA's a couple of weeks ago. He could never release another song and he will still be famous till he dies. Gotye was a big hit in 2012 but now he is just somebody that we use to know. He has released albums since then but none that hit the top charts. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis has remained active since "Thrift Shop." They have had three more singles make it in the top 20's of the Billboard charts. They also performed at the VMA's a couple of weeks ago. Carly Ray Jepsen went away for awhile after her single "Call Me Maybe" was released. She tried to release an album during all the hype but it failed to get noticed. Since then she has been keeping it low until recently when her new single "I Really Like You" was released a couple of months ago.
I agree with Mr. Brauner when he said that signing someone from YouTube is really risky. You could have the next Justin Bieber or you could have someone like Gotye who will get a couple of number ones and then goes away.
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I personally did not like his comment about not signing someone from Youtube because they might not last… but I myself am obsessed with Youtube and I feel like the you tubers are going to take over the music and entertainment industry. They already have strong supporters and fans that would make the transition with them from youtube to the big stage! To name a few, Troye Sivan, Pentatonix, Boyce Avenue. They all have made the leap from screen to stage and I feel like they have just as strong and supportive fans as Beyonce!
ReplyDeleteFascinating work here, Kayla. (And thanks for the YouTube posts, too - that's helpful!). Both of you are right, by the way: Mr. Brauner says he won't sign an artist from YouTube, but Kayla points out, correctly, that he's reluctant to sign an artist he believes (key word there: he BELEIVES!) won't have career longevity; likewise, he doesn't trust YouTube is a reflection of an artist's potential for a long, lucrative and happy career.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, you're also right, Anna. While many agents agree with Mr. Brauner (re: YouTube, career longevity, etc.) and handle their own artists and careers the same way he does, tons more agents will do what you're talking about: an artist has a zillion YouTube hits; book her NOW; she explodes; makes millions; then disappears ... or not.
Not just YouTube. Y'all remember MySpace? MUTEMATH blew up MUTEMATH. The ginormous Creative Artists Agency signed the band because of "the numbers" online. The band did well for a few years. Anyone remember them now?
In other words, for many agents, an artist's career doesn't matter one whit. You fill your agency's roster with enough flash-in-the-pan artists like Gotye, and who cares about career longevity? You get rich whether the latest YouTube artist goes away or actually creates a career, so collect as many red-hot YouTube artists as you can.
So ,,, is the music business about Art (with a capital A, as Mr. Brauner wants things to be) or is it about Money (as - I believe - most agents want the music industry to be)?
Looks like you've brought up the whole Art vs. Commerce question! Ask Marty Winsch about it!
Fascinating work here, Kayla. (And thanks for the YouTube posts, too - that's helpful!). Both of you are right, by the way: Mr. Brauner says he won't sign an artist from YouTube, but Kayla points out, correctly, that he's reluctant to sign an artist he believes (key word there: he BELEIVES!) won't have career longevity; likewise, he doesn't trust YouTube is a reflection of an artist's potential for a long, lucrative and happy career.
ReplyDeleteAt the same time, you're also right, Anna. While many agents agree with Mr. Brauner (re: YouTube, career longevity, etc.) and handle their own artists and careers the same way he does, tons more agents will do what you're talking about: an artist has a zillion YouTube hits; book her NOW; she explodes; makes millions; then disappears ... or not.
Not just YouTube. Y'all remember MySpace? MUTEMATH blew up MUTEMATH. The ginormous Creative Artists Agency signed the band because of "the numbers" online. The band did well for a few years. Anyone remember them now?
In other words, for many agents, an artist's career doesn't matter one whit. You fill your agency's roster with enough flash-in-the-pan artists like Gotye, and who cares about career longevity? You get rich whether the latest YouTube artist goes away or actually creates a career, so collect as many red-hot YouTube artists as you can.
So ,,, is the music business about Art (with a capital A, as Mr. Brauner wants things to be) or is it about Money (as - I believe - most agents want the music industry to be)?
Looks like you've brought up the whole Art vs. Commerce question! Ask Marty Winsch about it!
Wow, I didn't know all these people had been discovered on YouTube. I knew about Justin Bieber and other people like Pentatonic of course, but didn't know that Goyte and Macklemore were also among that crowd. I would have to agree with Mr. Brauner on this one. While I agree that YouTubers will probably become the future of the entertainment industry, I also believe they all have an expiration date.
ReplyDeleteSo, I hardly ever listen to the radio. Ever. But the other day I turned it on because I was honestly just too lazy to pick a CD and there was the awful, awful song that was so boring and lame and the guy couldn't sing and I was just thinking, "What am I doing with my life." And then, it turns out it's a new Justin Bieber song, and I totally understand where Mr. Brauner was a bit hesitant.
ReplyDeleteI don't think he was so worried about the idea of the Youtube artists being "bloops in the infinite world of the music business", but rather just wary. Especially in a case like Justin Beiber. Voices don't fully develop until your late teens, so while he may have sung wonderfully then (which I still didn't think so at the time), it's really a gamble on someone that young to sign to a record label and constantly having them produce albums when you don't know how that person will sound when their voice fully matures.
With adult performers, however, I don't think the process is so risky. But I hardly ever see adults covering songs on Youtube; its always kids or teens. Although maybe I'm just looking in the wrong places.
I enjoyed the post and comments. Almost every popular artist has a short career. It's the nature of the beast.
ReplyDeletediy = DIY till = until Macklemore & Ryan Lewis [has] have